i've been thinking about this for a really long time now, but my fears are violently bubbling back to the surface again with the release of the second teaser for edgerunners 2. ever since i found out that something similar to cyberpsychosis exists within the hsr universe, i've been stressing myself out over boothill's mind and mortality.
the conversation that confirms the existence of a condition similar to cyberpsychosis occurs when you ask captain colleen to tell you an educational story. upon doing so, she recalls the tale of the "mechanical pirate king" wyland.
"About 10 Amber Eras or so back, the notorious "Mechanical Pirate King" Wyland roamed the galaxies...When this pirate was young, he switched out almost all of his body parts with prosthetics... In his old age, Wyland's mind became overwhelmed by excessive mods. Pain and hallucinations tortured him daily, twisting him into a mad, irritable, neurotic... monster. His once-loyal crew either deserted him or were cruelly tortured by him."
colleen referred to the condition as "graft-host rejection," which is probably not too different from real life GvHD (graft vs. host disease) in concept. basically, when undergoing a transplant, it is possible for your body to reject the donated organ/cells. in this case, the prosthetics would represent the "donated organ/cells," and the rejection presents itself as pain and hallucinations that eventually lead to the death of the host.
knowing all of this, i think that the hsr version of cyberpsychosis is actually much more frightening and deadly. i say this because in cyberpunk's universe, although rare, it is still possible for cyberpsychos to be rehabilitated and survive the condition. but in hsr, once you hit the point of rejection, it is a slow, painful, and inevitable death.
there is currently only one known remedy to the condition, but it isn't a cure by any means. the relief it provides is temporary and the supply is finite.
"[A] masked visitor came to Wyland telling him that an extract from the brain of the void song whale could relieve his adverse reactions."
and once that supply runs out, the host will eventually die.
comparing the degrees of modification between boothill and wyland's bodies causes me so much anxiety because they are both heavily altered (≈ 90% mechanical). it also isn't exactly reassuring to know that boothill himself has already mentioned that he experienced issues with his neurochip and memories before. i can't seem to locate the exact quote i'm looking for, but i know he has mentioned visiting the doctor several times to figure out what was going on with his memories. (will edit this section once my lore-recording oomfie gets back to me LOL)
edit: the quote i was looking for has been found, everyone say thank you to my dearest nocti !! i owe you my life ♡
"When I just started out as a cyborg, my memory module fizzled out every so often... The doctor told me to note things down if they were important, and she'd look up some possible causes before coming to fix me up a few days later. Guess what? I muddle-fudgin' noted things down for several days straight! And that's when it hit me: I was remembering too much crap! That's why my memory module kept shutting down on me."
boothill was constantly overloading his memory module, which is really concerning in this context because that could imply that his neurochip does not have the capacity to store all of his memories and all of his trauma. perhaps this issue was properly fixed by his doctor and no longer poses a threat, or is at least circumvented by the physical records and notes that he keeps. but the possibility of his mind being incompatible with his modifications is a frightening thing to consider.
at this point in time, it's unclear just how long boothill has been a cyborg, nor how long such modifications are expected to extend (or shorten) his lifespan. but given the fact that wyland was at least able to reach an "old age," it may be safe to assume that boothill could also live that long without experiencing any of the harmful side effects. so, in the event that boothill gets to live out the rest of his life beyond his quest for revenge, there is at least a little ray of hope at the end of this dark tunnel. but boy does it seem dire (ó﹏ò｡)
controversial stance but i do wish i could live forever. i certainly live like i'm going to live forever. i take my time. realistically however my lifespan is dreadfully limited and there are things i've "been meaning to do" that i will never get around to. the Emoji Movie came out almost 10 years ago. in all that time on any random day i could've decided to sit down and watch it, and i did not. how many more decades will slip by like this? conceivably, it could be all the decades i have left. watching the Emoji Movie would not be, after all, a crucial use of my time. much better things to do. i could easily postpone it over and over and over until my final breath where it may not even register to me that i never did watch the Emoji Movie. no great loss, certainly; and yet i find myself intrigued by Patrick Stewart's involvement
jacobvanloon
gummygunk
baratheonpilled
jbbartram-illu
janainaart
titsay
stormborns
izzy806
turnnoffyourmind
